Breaking Down the Barriers to PC Gaming

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By Ryan Clements

I never thought I would own a gaming tower. But that changed last year.

Growing up as an avid gamer I hosted a long line of consoles, from the original NES to the PlayStation 3. I even added a trio of SEGA systems into the mix including the ill-fated but greatly-loved Dreamcast. But PC gaming was never quite in my reach. It was always just expensive enough to frighten me off. Talk of heat sinks and graphics cards crushed my curiosity. I labeled it a costly, dangerous investment.

The first game I owned.

Until I built one with a friend and now use it as my gaming platform of choice.

This is not to say I deem PC gaming superior to console or handheld gaming. That's an important distinction to make, considering the internet's love of rivalry and the taste for blood. But I suspect that many gamers echo my old fears that PC gaming is too costly and too difficult. As a recent newcomer to this space, I spoke with a few of the IGN folks that don't play PC games in an effort to address their concerns and stumbling blocks.

Our exchanges, for your edutainment, are below.

Brian Altano, Executive Editor

At the risk of sounding like a disillusioned senior citizen, my biggest gripe with PC gaming is a simple one: never knowing if plugging a controller into my PC will just work like it does with consoles. On consoles, I press 'start' and the game starts. I love to play platformers and would rather play those with a d-pad and analog sticks rather than a keyboard and mouse. I’ve spent hours of my life Googling how to patch controller support into a game by replacing a file in a root folder. I don’t want to dig around a game’s files to play it. That sounds like the opposite of fun.

My take:

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People that grew up using controllers might have a harder time.

Issues with control get brought up often when it comes to PC gaming. People that grew up using controllers might have a harder time switching to a mouse and keyboard. Fortunately, my experiences have revealed that recent games have delightful plug-in-and-play support for USB controllers, especially a standard Xbox 360 pad. It's as easy as switching the control input in an options menu, which anyone can do. It's not always that easy, of course, but it often is.

This opens the PC platform up quite a bit. Not only does it accommodate all the methods of control afforded to game pad players, but the mouse and keyboard combo by itself is immensely versatile. PC users have access to more control options, and can select the one that works best for them.

Exit Theatre Mode

Andrew Goldfarb, News Editor

I own a Mac, and it makes things a little bit more complicated. For a multiplatform game, it’s just significantly easier to throw a disc in my console and hit start. To play on Mac, I’d need to install Windows with Boot Camp, restart my computer, install the game, download drivers for a controller…it just becomes a significant pain.

My take:

I used Apple products exclusively for more than 10 years before switching back to Windows. It's true that Mac users have far fewer gaming options, but developers like Blizzard make computer gaming possible -- and easy -- for Apple devotees. Blizzard's lineup, from StarCraft II to Diablo III, works on both Macs and PCs, giving Mac-owners a small but tremendous selection.

Similarly, Valve's Steam service has a growing collection of games available for native play on Macs, from Borderlands 2 to Counter-Strike. While vastly smaller to its PC equivalent, the Mac-compatible store has more than enough to keep you and your Apple products busy late into the night.

This can all be yours, Apple!

Audrey Drake, Associate Editor

My biggest barrier for getting into PC gaming has always been the hardware. I’ve loved gaming on friends’ PCs, but never had the extra cash to invest in one myself. I have too many hobbies! Between consoles, handhelds, comics, anime, manga, MTG, music, and everything else, there’s just not enough leftover cash. The fact that I absolutely adore consoles doesn’t help either -- another factor that keeps pushing PC gaming further down my priority list. But I want to change all that, Ryan! Help meh overcome mah lack of funds!

My take:

Sounds like Audrey needs money. Don't we all!

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You can purchase, upgrade, and adjust according to your own budget.

Insufficient funds bar countless gamers from the games, consoles, and computers they want. But building and buying PCs is much more flexible than buying a console. With something like a PlayStation 3, it's all or nothing. But with a PC, you can purchase, upgrade, and adjust according to your own budget and time frame.

Building a PC, of course, is far cheaper than a pre-built machine. Sites like Newegg sell PC components at reasonable prices, and if you already happen to own a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, you already have some of the basics covered!

For those intimidated by the building process, there are ample alternatives at reasonable costs. iBuyPower has deals for towers priced at $700 and lower. You can select the kind of hardware you want and roll with it. And don't forget that you'll make back a lot of your money on holiday Steam sales! No really, you've been warned.

The definition of temptation.

Colin Moriarty, Editor

To say I don’t play PC games isn’t quite true. I’ve spent more time with Civilization V than I have with almost any other game this generation. So there’s that. But generally, PC gaming doesn’t appeal to me because it lacks the cohesion, accessibility, and concentration of a console experience. I love the PlayStation ecosystem. And there are only so many hours in the day, so that’s how I choose to spend my leisure gaming time. I look at what’s available on PC only and I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. MMO and RTS games are about as far from my field of interest as you could possibly imagine, and just about everything else is available on console.

My take:

Gaming on a PC is much more accessible and cohesive than I remember it years and years ago. With Windows 7 running at home I only have a few mouse clicks standing between me and my favorite games. Steam helps tremendously with this accessibility, keeping all your games organized and updated with no hassle, as well as providing a seamless service for purchasing new games and downloadable content.

Using Steam, as well as other online services, also opens you up to a massive sea of indie games. You just can't get games like Hotline Miami, Chivalry, Lone Survivor, and FTL on consoles. And Steam also supports a spectacular array of community features comparable to other platforms.

Exit Theatre Mode

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Welcome every opportunity to broaden your gaming horizons.

But Colin brings up a great point here. Ultimately, every gamer will have preferences and some of you may just prefer playing on a console. Maybe, like Colin here, you're already embedded in an online community like Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network and you don't want to walk away from that. Or maybe you just don't have the money for a new electronics purchase thanks to student loans or a lack of an allowance. It happens to all of us.

You need to play what you want, and what fits your lifestyle. But remember that the essence of gaming transcends platforms and genres. You never know where you'll find your next favorite experience, so stay alert and welcome every opportunity to broaden your gaming horizons. You'll only learn more about yourself in the process.

Ryan Clements writes for IGN and just finished Borderlands 2 and Halo 4. He started XCOM, but died almost immediately. Follow him on Twitter at @PwamCider if you have, like, time and stuff.